May 26, 2014


Hey family! Sounds like you guys had an awesome, and suuppper busy week! I'm so happy to hear it.

Kacey, Karley sent me pictures of the zipline last week, it looks insane but so fun!! Sounds like you had a blast. 

 Mom, Thank you for your fasting and your prayers... you've been giving me the strength I need to keep on working hard, and I have no doubt that your help has contributed to the miracles we had this week. LOVE YOU

Dad, sounds like it was a good sacrament meeting this week. Cool story about the Australian family! I'm so glad Brett's recital went well and that WORK WAS BUSY. That makes me so happy! Definitely keep me posted on Coco! Well Dad, just remember that a lot of it has been influenced by you and mom. Seriously, you two are the best examples for all of us. Just know that my testimony has grown 100 fold since I've been here, and it's only going to grow more. I know what's at stake, and I know WHY I'm active in the church and that isn't going to change. Thank you for your examples for us. Brett's going to learn so much on his mission. I know you miss us, but just remember what we're doing :) It's weird, a year ago today I was in Boston...in your mission...and now I'm in Peru on MY mission! Life is nuts. I love you daddy! 

HAPPY 8 MONTH MARK haha 

Well, this has been the most exhausting, miraculous, amazing week of my mission...and I didn't even have a baptism...YET haha. 

Monday was a super fun pday, and then right after we went out and worked HARD. Hermana Kim and I have been trying to put into practice EXACT obedience and the things we have been learning from President Archibald and Elder Waddell...and guess what...it's working. Thank you for all of your prayers and fasting because I know it's been helping too. 

Monday night we went to visit L...the lady that found us in the park a few weeks ago. We hadn't been able to visit her for a while, because she had just been swamped with things to do and we had a hard time getting ahold of her. But this time we finally got to go. Well she had invited her younger sister to come listen to us. We taught her sister, E....and L.'s son S. We invited them to be baptized and they both immediately said yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! E said that she has cousins that are LDS and that she has always loved the way they live and the people that they are. She said that she's just been WAITING for us to show up and invite her to be a part of the church. The spirit was SO strong there. 

Tuesday we went and visited S. and A with their mom C (another menos activa that we've been working with...that we miraculously found in the street our first week here) and they both also accepted to be baptized on June 7th!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday we went back to teach L, E, and S. This time E brought her mom to listen to us. Her mom told us that her sisters are LDS and that she's been wanting to learn more for a really long time...that before she just wasn't very open but now she wants to be a part of this. She also accepted a baptismal date!!!!!!! 

We worked hard with them, and also trying to find new people, and also working hard with conversos and menos activos. It was a crazy week, we had more lessons than I've EVER had in one week....we came home at 9:30 exhuasted every night, but SO SO HAPPY. 

Sunday rolled around and we went to church. I had the feeling that L and her family weren't going to show up. We went looking for them at their house and they were nowhere to be found. S and A came. But L, E, S, and G (their mom) didn't. I was super sad. They had been progressing all week, reading and praying and then they didn't come to church! Well last night we went to visit them and found E in the street. We were able to talk to her, figure out what happened...and when we explained that we had to move her baptismal date she was super sad, but understood and accepted to be baptized on the 21st. Then we went to her sister's apartment to talk to L and S...and guess what...WE GOT TO MEET L'S HUSBAND!!!!! He was FINALLY home. We were able to teach HIM the Restoration and while he was a little harder to crack, he told us that he'll read and pray and he accepted to be baptized with his son on the 21st!!! Suddenly I realized why their baptismal dates fell through and why they didn't come to church...it was because we needed to meet S's dad to be able to teach him in time for them to be baptized TOGETHER. We're going to complete a family, and I feel SO blessed to be a part of it. 

I feel so humbled and so blessed this week. I have a testimony that the Lord really is preparing His children to receive the gospel. I can see R and L going to the temple in a year and sealing their family for all eternity. It's so beautiful. Thank you for all of your prayers, fasting, and support...and pllleease keep it coming! I love you all so much and I'm so grateful for everything you've been doing for me. There are angels all around helping this work move along.

Have an amazing week!!! 

Con todo mi amor,

Hermana Carr

May 18, 2014

Hey family!

Hey Brett! It's crazy when things start feeling real. Did you have to bear your testimony or anything in mish? Good luck with your senior presentation, and with your recital. You're going to do GREAT. Make sure dad sends me pics and videos of your recital. It's crazy you only have a month left. It goes by super fast so take advantage of it. I hope that my package gets to you before you leave on your mission.... anyway, GOOD LUCK with EVERYTHING this week. You've got a busy week but it's going to be an awesome one. And you're pretty much done with school, so that's awesome. Love you! 

Congrats to the Tapia family. I love them and they're in my prayers. I'm sure Baby Boy Tapia will be healthy in no time! 

Well, we had a sickly week here in San Diego. Poor Hermana Kim had a throat infection, that she partially passed on to me..so we were quite the pair. We couldn't really talk much and just didn't feel good. Somehow though, we were still able to have a productive week.

President Archibald decided to continue training us from the training we received from Elder Waddell this week which was awesome. We had a ZONE MEETING with President and he taught us a lot more about how we can do better with our wards. He told us that the General Authorities are super pleased with our mission, that we're doing what we're supposed to....only that now we're FINE TUNING to make things run smoother than ever.

At the end of this week I was just feeling a little...bleh. After being sick all week long and having extra hours in the apartment, you let yourself think about home and all of the but, what ifs and whys. It's not a good place to be. Sunday was kind of the boiling point when we tried to go and bring people to church and completely failed. The Lord loves me though, and He was able to give me a day full of tender mercies to show it. I was playing piano for Sacrament Meeting like usual, and the front bench was filled so I ended up just sitting on the piano bench for the meeting. During that time one of the elders came up to me and told me that there was someone looking for us outside. It was C., our menos activo and her two daughters, S.and A. We had attempted to pick them up for church that morning but she said that they woke up too late to come. Well now they were at church and they told me they felt like they needed to come. In Sunday School I sat next to C. and she leaned over and told me that she felt feelings she hadn't felt in years (its been more than 15yrs since she left the church)...she was describing the Spirit. I could tell that the Lord was working a change in her. Then her daughter asked me if she was allowed to be baptized. Super cute. 

I love this work. It's hard. It takes a lot of patience. There are a lot of times when I just want to throw in the towel and say that I'm going home...or go home for a week to have mom take care of me when I'm sick haha...but the people here take care of me and the Lord is constantly reminding me that He is aware of me and He needs and wants me right here, right now. 

I love you guys and hope you never forget that. I feel blessed more and more each day to know that this Gospel has brought our family together and we will be together for eternity. Have a fantastic week and enjoy Brett's recital. I hope that it all goes well! Brett, you're going to do great :) 

Les amo mucchhhiiisssiiiimmmooo

Hermana Carr 

So Happy to have McDonalds!!

May 12, 2014

Hey familia!!! 

It was so awesome to be able to talk with you guys yesterday. Thank you for all your show and tell items (from Brett's muscles to TJ's mother's day gift). It was a ton of fun to see you and hear your voices and to have our last family prayer together for a while. I feel so blessed to be a Carr. 

This was a crazy week for us. We didn't get a lot of work done, but we had an amazing week. On Tuesday, there was a multi-stake training that we were required to attend. Elder Waddell, an area 70 and counselor in the area presidency came to our mission to do a tour and some training with ward leaders as well as the missionaries. Tuesday night, six stakes came together to learn more about La Obra de Salvacion. Elder Waddell and Presidente Archibald trained us on how we need to be more effective in our Ward council and to work better as missionaries and members TOGETHER. We talked about the importance of baptism, reactivation, and retention and how the ultimate goal is to get every child of God to the temple. It was a great experience, and totally changed the face of the work in our ward. It was also really fun to see missionaries from six different zones, I got to run into a lot of my buddies from Huaraz. 

On Friday, we had a special training meeting with Elder Waddell. It was awesome because before the meeting began, we ate SUBWAY!!! WITH SUBWAY COOKIES! It exists in Peru! I was so excited, it made me think of the Janney's always taking us to Subway... I was so happy to eat "American food". After we ate lunch, we all entered the chapel and began studying as we prepared for the meeting. I sat with Hermana Kim and Hermana Brown. Elder Waddell, his wife, and the Archibalds came into the room. We were all able to meet him one by one. Then the meeting started and I was asked to lead the music. HOW EMBARASSING. I still don't lead music well at all. After the opening prayer, Elder Waddell began teaching us. He is an amazing speaker and you can tell that he is inspired of the Lord. The minute he walked into the room I felt the Spirit confirm so strongly that it is true. I want to hit on some of the points that he shared, but I'll do it in a minute. After he spoke, it was time for random missionaries to be called up to give a talk. President Archibald had assigned EVERYONE to prepare a five minute talk on the attributes of Jesus Christ. He then had one of his APs announce three speakers randomly from the crowd. I sat back, totally relaxed...I figured that since I'd led the music, I didn't have to speak. But then "Elder Tunque... HERMANA CARR... and Elder...." WHATTT?! I got super nervous. Hermana Brown patted my shoulder and told me I was going to do great as I scrambled to find my scriptures. Elder Tunque spoke really quickly and then it was my turn. I got up, a little nervous to begin with (never in a million years did I think i would have to speak in front of a General Authority in SPANISH) but everything went well. I was the only white kid and the only Hermana to give a talk. When I finished Elder Waddell whispered "Gracias" as I walked down to my seat...I hope I did a good job. After that we had a little break and we ran to the bathroom, while I was waiting for my companion Hermana Archibald and Hermana Waddell started talking to me and told me that I did an awesome job and that I speak Spanish really well. That made me feel so good! Then we went back Hermana Archibald, President Archibald, and Hermana Waddell all spoke. Then Elder Waddell got up and spoke to us for another two hours. It was an amazing training that really taught me my purpose as a missionary and who I need to become. I want to write down some of my favorite points from his training, mostly for Brett as he prepares for his mission in the coming weeks. 

TRAINING WITH ELDER WADDELL OF THE QUORUM OF THE 70

• True doctrine, understood, is what brings conversion and convinces people to change. If someone goes inactive, or if someone doesn't accept commitments, it's probably because they didn't understand the doctrine. 
• On June 23 last year, the Lord through His prophet changed how we do missionary work. As missionaries our focus isn't just to baptize people. It's to CONVERT people. The Lord is HASTENING His work. This isn't just missionary work, it's the work of salvation. Members and missionaries need to focus on baptizing new members, retaining converts, and rescuing less active members. The ultimate goal is to get these people to the temple and to help them receive the blessings of being an eternal family.
• Elder Nelson of the Q of the 12 said that BAPTISMS AREN'T VALID IF THEY DON'T GET TO THE TEMPLE. Baptism is the DOOR, the temple is the goal. We need to help people make and keep the covenants of baptism as well as the covenants of the temple.
• WHY ARE YOU HERE IN PERU? *or...WHY ARE YOU SERVING IN GERMANY?
• Because the Lord knows YOU specifically. He knows your strengths but more importantly He knows your weaknesses. Yours are different from mine, and mine from yours. He knows that we need to be serving in these countries at this time because He knows what WE NEED to be prepared to serve Him in the future. 
• You're in the mission to PREACH THE GOSPEL and become CONVERTED YOURSELF. The Lord knows that the experiences you have and the people you interact with are what YOU need to become converted and rooted in the Gospel
• The Lord knows that these experiences are for you to BECOME BETTER FOR THE FUTURE. Your service isn't going to end with missionary work. 
• A huge part about you serving in your specific mission is YOUR MISSION PRESIDENT. He has teachings for you that you can't learn anywhere else, and they are specifically what YOU need to become better. 
• When the going gets tough, don't ask yourself WHY HERE? WHY HIM? WHY ME? Realize that maybe, more than anything, the Lord is teaching you that YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS. The mission is the easiest and hardest thing you will ever do. Realize that YOU are in charge of controlling how you react to the circumstances that are out of your control. It's part of becoming able to conform yourself to the will of the Lord
• The Lord is testing you right now to see HOW MUCH HE CAN TRUST YOU for the rest of your life. If you aren't going to be obedient in the mission, how can He expect you to be obedient for the rest of your life? 
• Realize that WHAT YOU DO has eternal consequences for YOU and for OTHERS. 
• There is a difference between being IN the mission and SERVING a mission. Are you just going to BE HERE and waste your time for two years, or are you going to SERVE with all diligence and obedience? 
• If you go on a mission to be disobedient and without putting your heart in the work, the Lord isn't going to accept your offering. When you sign your acceptance letter, you ENTER A COVENANT with the Lord, and He takes His covenants very seriously. 
• Realize that the work of the Lord is to CONVERT, not just to baptize. Realize that the Lord wants to SEAL families FOR ETERNITY. He wants FAMILIES to go to the temple. Study D&C 2. 
• Our entire purpose is to CREATE ETERNAL FAMILIES. Help people to fulfill the purpose of their creation
• Remember as you teach the Atonement...the Atonement applies to you to. Repent when you need to repent, change when you need to change, become better when you need to become better.
• Remember that conversion is an ongoing process, not just a one time event. You need to constantly realign your will with His and persistently follow His will.
• Moses 1:39. The Most important word is MY. This is the LORD'S WORK and we are His hands.
• The SPIRIT is the most important part of your work. If you aren't obedient you don't have the Spirit and if you don't have the Spirit you can't help people become converted.
• The Lord knows your capacity and He expects you to fulfill it. Magnify the calling and assignments that He gives you
• Make sure that you don't skip the ORDER of Article of Faith 4: You need to teach people FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST AND REPENTANCE before you baptize them. If they don't have these principles, they're going to fall away.
• To devlop faith, they need to PRAY, READ THE BOOK OF MORMON, AND GO TO CHURCH
• Don't be afraid to open your mouth. Your fear is REJECTION. Well, just know that they are going to reject you and then you don't need to fear. If you talk to everyone, you're eventualy going to find the CHOSEN people that are prepared to accept the Gospel at this time...but if you don't talk to them YOU WILL NEVER KNOW. You HAVE passed by people that are ready for the Gospel.

I am so grateful for the chance that I had to listen to and learn from Elder Waddell. These are just some highlights of what I learned from him. I know that this is the work of the Lord and that it is the most important thing for any youth to be doing. The Lord knows His children and is preparing us in ways that we can't imagine. I don't know what He has in store for me, but I know that He is preparing me as well as every one of His missionaries to be rooted and converted in His path and in His Gospel. 

In other news...after our skype conversation I got bit in the face by a dog haha. We went to visit a family who's severely disabled son had been sick for weeks, we went to visit them and their dog Chester got so excited to see us that he jumped up and bit/licked me in the face. I'm glad he was just playing....but yeah he bit me and it drew blood. Hopefully I don't have rabies :P 

And now Hermana Kim is super sick with a really bad throat infection and she isn't allowed to talk for three days...so we're going to have to get creative about doing the work. I think we're going to organize splits. 

Well, I love you guys! It was AMAZING to see you this week!

Con todo cariño y amor,

Hermana Carr 

Guess who found her favorite cereal in Peru?

May 5, 2014

Hey family!

Love you all so much! CAN'T WAIT FOR SUNDAYYYY!!! 

 

This has been another kind of slow going week, but things are picking up. I'm just lucky to have a hilarious companion that keeps me going all week long. The members are also really loving and very helpful, we have an awesome bishop that really wants to help the work move forward. 

We've been working a lot with the new converts here...quite a few of them are going inactive, so it's been a challenge. We're teaching each of them, trying to help them have a testimony. The investigators that were left for us won't accept our visits, so we really are starting from scratch. The problem is the "reference" that people are giving us, or the people that we contact, end up being dropped investigators from the Hermanas before...it's rough haha. 

Even though things have been a little slow going as far as progression goes, I'm happy and hopeful. Last week, President Archibald informed us that THIS week Elder Waddell from the area presidency, a member of the quorum of the 70, is going to be touring our mission. We were asked to prepare a 5 minute talk on the attributes of Christ that are listed in Preach my Gospel. People are randomly going to be called up to give their talk, so we are all preparing. I've been studying more for myself, because I doubt I'm going to be called up, but what I've found has been super interesting. I was reading the different attributes and felt impressed that I should write about hope and dilligence. It seemed silly to me at first, because I didn't really see how those things tied together. Then while I was studying this week, I found the following scripture in Hebreos: 

 10 For God is not ^aunrighteous to forget your work and ^blabour of^clove, which ye have shewed toward his ^dname, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

 11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same^adiligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

 12 That ye be not ^aslothful, but followers of them who through^bfaith and ^cpatience inherit the ^dpromises.

 13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could^aswear by no greater, he ^bsware by himself,

 14 Saying, Surely blessing I will ^abless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.

 15 And so, after he had patiently ^aendured, he obtained the promise.

 16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an ^aoath for confirmation is to them an end of all ^bstrife.

 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his ^acounsel, ^bconfirmed it by an^coath:

 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to ^alie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for^brefuge to lay hold upon the ^chope set before us:

 19 Which hope we have as an ^aanchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the ^bveil;

 20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an^ahigh priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

When I read this scripture, I was reminded that the Lord knows that I really am giving my all, now more than ever. This transfer I've been striving to be more obedient, and trying to talk to everyone in the street. God knows that I'm working hard, and He hasn't forgotten it. Like Abraham, He has promised many blessing to His children... but WE NEED TO HAVE HOPE AND KEEP WORKING HARD UNTIL THE END. Through FAITH, HOPE, PATIENCE, ENDURANCE, we find the promises we seek. Hope is the anchor, Christ is the forerunner...we aren't the first that have had to work hard and be patient to receive our reward.  

The Lord's hand is in each one of our lives. When we meet people, it isn't a coincidence. I was thinking a lot about Sheri Bird this week. I can't believe that it's been two years since she passed away. She was one of those people (and there are countless others) that really touched and changed my life. She taught me what it means to ENDURE with patience and hope. Despite her challenges, her faith never wavered and she was never afraid to share that testimony with me, even in her most challenging moments. I love Sheri and her family, they've been such an amazing blessing in my life.  

 This week, we had one real miracle of "coincidental meetings". We had a really hard day. The both of us were on the verge of tears. All of our citas had fallen through and were being rejected all day long. We walked defeatedly through the park that leads to our apartment. As we were walking I tried my best to keep on smiling and greeting people with BUENAS NOCHES. There was one lady that responded.... WITH A SMILE. Whoa. Hermana Kim and I stopped in our tracks, but the lady had turned a corner and gone. We both felt the spirit, we needed to talk to her, but she was nowhere in sight. About two seconds later, she came RUNNING back to us, asking us if we were Mormon missionaries. She told us that she has been inactive for 10 years because she married a nonmember and moved away from her family. She now has three kids. She said she wants to come back. We went to visit her. We stil haven't met her husband, but she said that she wants to be active and she wants to teach her children and her husband the gospel, she wants them to be a part of this. She told us she's wanted to come back for years but she just never felt right...she was scared. But when she saw us in the park that night and walked away, she just felt like "It's them. Those are the two girls that I need to talk to" and so she came back and asked us to come to her home. I have no doubt in my mind that once we meet and teach her husband, he and their ten year old son will join the church. The spirit in that home is SO strong. The Lord has been preparing this family. There was a reason we ended up in the park that night. Pray for us that we'll find her husband! He travels a lot for work. 

Well, I love you all and hope you have an amazing week! HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all the moms I know! My mom, my grandmas, and all the ladies that have been so important in my life. I hope you all get spoiled.

Love you tons,

Hermana Carr